Much has been said and written about the social audits conducted in Andhra Pradesh under the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act. But on the ground these audits have achieved much less than advertised and they have ignored many important aspects of implementation of NREGA. The social audit process has a long way to go before it can claim to have contributed to transparency, empowerment and good governance.
The National Employment Guarantee Act has been described as a landmark legislation. However, scepticism about the promised benefits persists. Unless we learn from past experience of implementation of government programmes and devise corrective measures, there will be few gains for the rural poor.
